ALOR SETAR, Sept 24 — A total of 12,607 tourists have visited Langkawi since the reopening of the tourism industry on the resort island under the tourism bubble pilot project from September 16 up till Wednesday.

State Tourism, Arts and Culture, Youth and Sports, Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Committee chairman Mohd Firdaus Ahmad said the number involved 11,853 domestic tourists and 754 foreign tourists.

"There were 8,587 tourists who came to Langkawi by air, while 4,020 used the ferry service,” he said at a press conference after visiting the Kuala Kedah Ferry Terminal here today.

He said the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture had previously targeted about 30,000 tourists to visit Langkawi this month, but it is not likely to be achieved due to the strict standard operating procedures imposed on tourists.

Mohd Firdaus stressed, however, that the mandatory Covid-19 early detection test conducted on tourists was important to control the spread of the disease among those who visit Langkawi.

"Maybe now the number of tourists has decreased a little but in November and December, we expect the number to go up, as the school holidays would have begun at the time,” he said.

Meanwhile, state Agriculture and Agro-Resources, Transport and Primary Industries Committee chairman Azman Nasrudin, who was also present, said the number of ferry trips to Langkawi would be increased if there was a higher demand from tourists.

"Currently, there are only two ferry trips a day, one from Kuala Kedah to Langkawi Island and one trip from Langkawi Island to Kuala Kedah. If the number of tourists increases, we will ask the Ministry of Transport to allow more ferry trips,” he said. — Bernama